The present invention relates to measuring and testing the geometric relation of the rollers of two roller tracks in relation to each other; and more particularly, the invention relates to measuring curvature of such dual roller tracks.
Machines for continuous casting of ingots usually include an arrangement of roller tracks to support and to withdraw the ingot as emerging from the bottom of a mold. This roller arrangement usually includes two tracks of rollers engaging the ingot from opposite sides. The tracks are usually constructed so that respective two rollers face each other across the withdrawal and transport path between the two tracks. Such two rollers define a gap between them whose width is rather critical as far as the thickness of the object (ingot) passing through is concerned; the ingot should engage both rollers and be duly supported but not unduly squeezed by them.
The tracks are curved to veer the ingot into the horizontal. That curvature may also be a rather critical parameter of the tracks, particularly if the curvature has to undergo changes (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,707,180; 3,645,323; see also 3,994,334.)
In the past, track geometry has been measured optically or by means of superimposed dummy patterns or just manually by an operator, but the latter method is rather crude as far as curvature testing is concerned.